


Friends in the Right Places

by rockcandyshrike



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Gen, Just another day in imperial-occupied Jedha, M/M, Old Married Banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockcandyshrike/pseuds/rockcandyshrike
Summary: When Chirrut heard the unmistakable din of a firefight, with the report of one particular blaster belonging to his particular friend rising above it, he sighed and leapt off the peak—at least the exercise would keep him warm.---A short thing I wrote for a Guardians of the Whills fanbook that was gifted to Greg Rucka.





	Friends in the Right Places

**Author's Note:**

> this is a lot less shippy than my usual fare, but this was for Greg Rucka and i didn't want to be one of those "weird" fans yknow? anyway, i know this is short bc the word limit was 1500, but i unexpectedly fell in love with Nzoira and she might show up in future works, who knows tho. I assure everyone that i am still firmly on the Chirrut/Baze train and i am not getting off for a while. I have an upcoming fic i'm working on and hopefully that'll be posted before the end of this month or next month, but i have *plans* for October fics ;3c

Brooding atop the Second Spire enshrouded by darkness wasn’t Chirrut’s idea of a good time.

Yet here he stood, alone in the middle of a Jedhan night cold enough to make the bones of the dead rattle with the bitter chill. Alone and _waiting_ because Baze was supposed to rendezvous with him half an hour ago. He would have huffed with impatience if it hadn’t meant interrupting his _ajaagsansra_. Instead, he adjusted his grip on his staff as he pushed his abdomen out and breathed in, then pulled his abdomen in and breathed out; the rhythm of a blacksmith’s bellows circulating his blood through his body and keeping him warm the way Master Iel had taught him as a youngling. The sound of stormtroopers marching in lockstep drifted to him from the northeast. Patrols had increased in this sector of Jedha and he tensed ever so slightly when he heard them stop to accost someone, likely one of the many homeless that crowded this neighborhood. He couldn't hear their words due to the distance, but the aggravation in the sergeant’s voice traveled straight and true to his ears. When Chirrut heard the unmistakable din of a firefight, with the report of one particular blaster belonging to his particular friend rising above it, he sighed and leapt off the peak—at least the exercise would keep him warm.

He landed lightly atop an abandoned home and tapped his staff on the tiles beneath his feet, listening to the dull thud that identified it as slate. Just as Chirrut knew every twist, turn, and dead end in the streets below, he knew every slope, overhang and tripping hazard of the rooftops of the Holy City. In an instant, he knew the quickest route towards the fracas and dashed off, swift and loping as the desert hare. He dodged around a smokestack and deliberately did not stumble when he heard the sound of a small explosion. He put on a burst of speed that would’ve seemed impossible for a human let alone one of his age. Once he was at the edge of the battle and coming up from behind the stormtroopers, he wedged his staff down between a pair of broken terracotta tiles to arc high up into the air, and then pounced upon a poor unfortunate soldier.

Chirrut immobilized them with a quick jab to the throat that slipped between their helmet and their breastplate, his lithe form swooping down into a dual evasion and kick before the body even dropped. He neatly sidestepped the next trooper as they attempted to shoot him and flung their weapon away with a flick of his wrist that led into a brutal smash across their skull. They joined the first trooper on the ground in a clatter and Chirrut dispatched two more stormtroopers in short order til he was standing alone. Alone save for the bodies clogging the narrow alley like Wookiee fur in a refresher drain, and one Baze Malbus who was straightening up from a crouch and dusting off his knees.

“You stood me up,” he complained as he strode towards the other man.

Baze grunted. “I'll make it up to you later.”

“What was all this commotion for?” He gestured expansively at the wreckage surrounding the two. 

“I was coming to meet you, but I heard some stormtroopers jeering at Nzoira, that girl you gave our dinner to last Taungsday, so I stopped to eavesdrop on them.”

Chirrut raised a brow. “And then?”

“They threatened her with a “good time”, so I dropped from the eaves on them.” Baze finished wryly, kicking a soldier to ensure they would stay down.

Chirrut laughed in surprise at the rare show of wit. “I always knew you were a magnet for trouble, Baze Malbus.”

“That’s rich,” his partner snorted. “If I’m a trouble magnet, what does that make you?”

“Good old-fashioned trouble,” he replied with a grin that would’ve made a nexu nervous.

Baze chuckled and reached out to pick a shard of shattered plastoid armor out of Chirrut’s hair. “You’re not wrong.”

“Where did Nzoira go?” Chirrut asked.

“Ran off. Smart girl.”

“What happened to your longblaster?”

Baze made a curious noise. “How did you know?”

“I’m sure everyone in a block radius knows after that very unsubtle explosion, my friend.”

Baze hefted his gun into both hands to assess the damage. “One of those stormtroopers can actually shoot semi-accurately. Or maybe they just got lucky. Either way, they hit the power pulsator I welded to the barrel and the whole thing blew up.”

Chirrut huffed. “That’s the second blaster this season, Baze.”

“It’s fine, I’ll find a new one.” Baze waved away his concern.

“Hey!” a young voice broke into their conversation. “Reinforcements are coming! Follow me if you don't want to get executed on sight!”

They turned as one towards the coily pigtailed head peeking out from around a corner. She ducked back around the corner just as the stomping of boots and a strident command to “Freeze criminals!” came from the end of the alley. 

If the choice had been more obvious, it would’ve been wearing Guardian robes and preaching about the Force of others.

They ran through the streets with the stormtroopers hot on their heels, always keeping the girl’s fluffy bouncing hair within sight as she dipped into side streets and vaulted over fences. There was a close call with a hunting party as they neared the Khubai Shanty, but the girl led them down an unused cellar that branched into a network of musty tunnels. The troopers followed them under the city, but after the first dozen disorienting turns, the sounds of pursuit faded far behind them as they scurried through the labyrinthine underbelly of Jedha. The tunnels would thin to the point where they could only squeeze through sideways, and there were low parts of the ceiling they had to be mindful of or else risk banging their heads, which Baze did twice, but the girl’s steps were unerring the entire time. Eventually, she opened a hatch door and they emerged into a dilapidated store. A bedroll and a lantern heater were tucked into a tidy little alcove, but the rest of the store had obviously been ravaged for supplies.

The girl, a youthful-looking woman actually if you got close enough to see the faint stress lines in her brow, coughed as she waved the dust away from her face. “It's not the Imperial Palace, but it’s got a roof and four walls that mostly keep the wind out, and the front’s boarded-up so no one can get in. You can lay low here for a bit.”

Chirrut clasped his hands together and bowed. “Thank you for your kindness, Nzoira.”

“Yeah, well,” she said, embarrassment tinging her voice, “You didn't have to step in earlier.”

“Yes, we did. Jedha helps its own.” Baze replied, looking Nzoira in the eyes so she could see the truth plainly written in his.

Nzoira held his gaze, before nodding and retiring to her alcove. She activated her lantern, and then pried open a secret compartment in the wall.

“Here, I got a couple MREs yesterday. You can both have one and we'll be even.” She tossed a packet at each of them, Chirrut snapping it out of the air with ease despite her sloppy aim. Baze almost fumbled, but managed to catch it.

“Friends don't keep tallies of each other’s debts,” Chirrut stated gently.

“But friends should share their food with one another when they can, should they not?” she shot back, the tilt of her head and her intonation identical to that of a Mother Superior's.

Baze muttered, “Well said, well said.”

“I'm still a sacred vessel for Our Lady Petulia, She of Negotiable Affection. I know all about hospitality.”

Chirrut conceded with a smile. It was heartening to see others keep the old faiths alive. The three ate their food in companionable silence til the hour grew late enough it became the sort of early even birds would shun. 

Baze yawned so wide you could see his back teeth. “We should get home.”

“We should,” Chirrut agreed, hand stretching out to squeeze his partner's thigh. “Nzoira, is there a way out besides the tunnels?”

“You can stay til morning.” She sighed when they shook their heads, jerking a thumb behind her. “There's a ladder going up and out.”

“Thank you for everything,” Baze rumbled. 

“Oooone more thing.” She pointed at Baze's damaged longblaster. “That thing is kaput. Talk to Kedig tomorrow, tell him I sent you and he'll get you something reliable.”

“Baze will modify it to be unreliable.”

Nzoira giggled at Baze's half-hearted protest. “Get out of here.”

As the two Guardians, or one Guardian and his devoted protector, stood together on the roof, a frigid wind whipped at their clothes. Baze shivered fiercely. Chirrut bumped his shoulder fondly, smiling like the sun.

“Let's go home and warm up.”

“Tea?”

His smile broadened. “For starters.”

“Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey i'm rockcandyshrike on tumblr, come hit me up! i appreciate all the feedback i can get: flaming hate, keyboard smashes, strings of emojis? all good baby


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